Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with The Winter Sloths
The Winter Sloths are an alt rock band based in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Their sound mixes raw guitars, synth textures, and layered vocals to create songs that deal with mental health and personal growth. Since their debut in 2024, they’ve released a string of singles and built a growing fanbase through live shows and online engagement. With each release, The Winter Sloths aim to connect through honesty, energy, and a fresh take on a nostalgic sound.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Elementary school music programs! I had a really great music education from the school I went to and I was well encouraged to pursue my musical passions.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I played in my first non-cover band with friends at the end of high school. We had the opportunity to organize a home show with some bigger local names in the genre that was really well attended. It was so encouraging to see our community rally behind something that we organized and created.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
The Winter Sloths began as a collaborative project between Todd Biederman and Nick Ganoe, playing around west central Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. They dabbled in writing their own music and found the sound they were looking for after adding Braden Ashworth on drums and vocals and Matthew Danielson on guitar, which lead to the release of their first single, Fake It, in May of 2024
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
A band that grew up on the sounds of alt rock/pop punk/emo in the 2000s all grew up, got jobs, got families, and started a band together. All of those influences mixed with our life stories make the sound we’ve got now.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Being open to letting the whole team work on a song you wrote is a vulnerable process but it can widen the possibilities of what your song can sound like and help it achieve it’s maximum potential.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Writing together in a group is what makes our songs come alive. Staying open minded to the ideas of anyone else in the group makes our songs as full and complete as they are.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Arctic Monkeys, Two Door Cinema Club, The Strokes
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Our personal experiences are the central identity of the thematic ideas of our music. For this first album in particular our personal experiences could not be more tied to our sound.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
We hope our music reminds people that they’re not alone in whatever they’re going through. A lot of our songs come from navigating burnout, self-doubt, and the quieter struggles we don’t always talk about, but also from the joy of creating something meaningful in spite of it all. If listeners walk away feeling seen, energized, or even just a little lighter, then we’ve done our job.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Music has taught us that consistency beats perfection. Showing up on the hard days, pushing through the burnout, and creating even when you’re not sure anyone is listening is where the real growth happens. The process matters just as much as the final product, and every step forward keeps the momentum alive.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Glastonbury!
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Green Day or blink-182. I taught myself bass while listening to their albums in my room when I was a kid and I think it would be an incredible full circle moment to work with them.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Website: https://www.thewintersloths.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3MVGy2ZeJzUFYpP1RdNAGD
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-winter-sloths/1746567655
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCVRNnFf5GHL_1hecTC9PEIw
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0D48N4TC7/the-winter-sloths
Bandcamp: https://thewintersloths.bandcamp.com
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-winter-sloths
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewintersloths
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewintersloths/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewintersloths
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewintersloths
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
For next steps, we would love to bring our music to new listeners and new places and build a community around it that will want to hear more from us.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
We hope people hearing our music will find some reflection of themselves or their experiences so they can find a connection to our music.
